Complete Ecuador

Duration: 12 days

from A$4311

Experience the best Ecuador has to offer on this comprehensive 12 day trip. We take you through lush Amazon rainforests and spectacular snow-capped volcanoes before journeying through the quaint colonial cities of Quito and Cuenca and the famous Otavalo crafts market. Top off your trip with some relaxation in the hot springs of Papallacta and Baños! We highly recommend complementing this trip with a visit to the magnificent Galapagos Islands

Ride on what might be the most famous train in South America - and the scariest.

Take a stroll along cobblestone streets and admire the red-tiled roofs, flower markets and shady plazas of Cuenca.

The Andean lakes and many waterfalls of Cajas National Park.

Itinerary in brief

Day 1: Quito arrival transfer.

Day 2: Quito City tour.

Day 3: Quito – Otavalo.

Day 4: Transfer from Otavalo into the Andes Mountains via
spectacular volcanoes. Spend the evening in Ecuador’s most beautiful
thermal hot springs resort.

Day 5: Morning transfer into a spectacular cloud forest with great
bird watching opportunities. Continue to your Amazon Lodge where
you will have an evening activity.

Day 6: Amazon Lodge: Day of activities included.

Day 7: Transfer from the Amazon Rainforest to Baños via the
spectacular Pastaza Corridor. Optional afternoon activities or massages
available at your luxury spa hotel where you spend the night.

Day 8: Banos to Riobamba via the Chimborazo nature reserve.

Day 9: Riobamba – Devil´s Nose Train Ride – Incan Ruins – Cuenca

Day 10: City Tour of Cuenca.

Day 11: Transfer from Cuenca to Guayaquil via the Cajas National Park where you will have a tour.

Day 12: Guayaquil departure transfer.

Tailor-made suggestions for this itinerary

Upgrade your Amazon stay and stay at one of South America’s best lodges like the Napo Wildlife Center.

Add in another day to enjoy the excellent views and relaxing spas in the Andes mountains.

Choose from our range of trips to the Galapagos Islands which will combine perfectly with this tour.

Day 1: Quito Arrival

On arrival in Quito you will be met by our representative and transferred to your centrally located hotel.

Day 2: Quito City tour

After breakfast, your guide and transportation will pick you up and take you on a comprehensive walking tour of the Colonial District of Quito. On this tour you will visit some of the most famous squares, churches and colonial buildings of the city including the Independence Plaza where you can admire the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace and the Archbishop’s palace. Furthermore, you'll visit the San Francisco Church and the Basilica of Quito, the oldest Church in South America, made almost completely out of volcanic stone. Then head to the 'Panecillo Mirador', the most famous hill of Quito, where you can take pictures of both colonial and modern Quito.

While walking through the city, your guide will help you appreciate the eventful past of Ecuador including the Inca Empire, the Spanish invasion, and its push towards independence.

Return to your hotel with the afternoon and evening at your leisure.

Breakfast included.

Day 3: Quito – Otavalo

This morning you will leave Quito with your tour guide, heading to Otavalo, the town famous for its weekly artesian market. En route on the Panamerican Highway we will stop at Calderon, a town where the famous masapan dolls are made, then we’ll continue on through Guayllabamba town where you can sample its typical fruit, the cherimoyer. We will also stop on the highway to admire the beautiful landscape and snow-capped mountains in the area. We’ll make a short stop at San Pablo Lake before arriving in Otavalo. Here we will visit the textile market located at the “Plaza of Ponchos”, one of the most famous markets in South America. You will find all kinds of handcrafts including tapestries made on the Spanish weaving loom as well as the indigenous back strap loom. Afterward you will enjoy some free time for bargaining and buying with the friendly Otavaleños.

Breakfast, Lunch included.

Day 4: Otavalo – Andes Mountains

We leave Otavalo in the morning and start with a drive up the Eastern Cordillera, passing over a over a 4,065 metre mountain pass. It can be foggy up here, but when the weather is clear you will be amazed by the magnificent views of the Antisana volcano and the surrounding paramo wetlands. Within two hours we will reach Termas de Papallacta, Ecuador’s most beautiful thermal hot springs resort and spa, located in between spectacular mountain forests of the Eastern Andes slopes.

Here we will enjoy a very nice morning hike through the surrounding mountain forests and grassy paramo near our resort. This ecological reserve is managed by a local foundation and harbours many peculiar species of flora and fauna (more than 160 bird species, mountain tapirs, spectacled bears and many other species).

In the afternoon you have free time to dip into the amazing hot springs or enjoy some of the optional health and beauty treatments in Termas de Papallacta before enjoying a very tasty meal in the most peaceful of settings.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Day 5: Andes Mountains – Amazon

In the morning we will depart from Papallacta to continue through the lush green cloud forests, making a stop at a very nice cloud forest lodge where we can observe many species of hummingbirds. Moreover, we will have the opportunity to see the famous sword-billed hummingbird, which has even a longer beak than its body. If time permits we can also make a short hike before we continue towards the Amazon basin.

At midday we will arrive at your Amazon Lodge, a lovely retreat located on the shores of the Napo River.

After a sumptuous lunch we put on our rubber boots and enjoy a guided jungle walk to uncover the secret wonders of the jungle, from its amazing plant species with medicinal properties to a great variety of insects, monkeys and colourful birds. After about three hours of walking we will arrive back at the lodge again, where you will enjoy a relaxing, intimate dinner.

*If a jungle hike is too strenuous for you, we offer several alternatives including canoe rides to local Indian communities combined with shorter hikes.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Day 6: Amazon Rainforest

After our delicious breakfast we’ll be more than ready to start today’s adventure! We will start with a canoe ride down the imposing Napo River, crossing the enchanted Ecuadorian jungle. Soon we arrive at the village of Misahualli, where we stroll through this tranquil little town and see a group of Capuchin Monkeys who live in harmony with the friendly inhabitants. We continue our canoe ride until we reach the Arajuno River. Here we will visit an animal rescue centre dedicated to the rescue of wild animals and restoring them into their natural habitat. We’ll observe a great variety of species such as toucans, parrots, monkeys, ocelots, capybaras and much more.

After our visit to this beautiful sanctuary, we’ll enjoy a scrumptious picnic by the river shore and have time to relax or take a swim in the refreshing river waters.

In the afternoon we’ll head back to our lodge after making a short stop in one of the many local Napo River indigenous communities, who will give us an insight into their way of life. We return to the lodge for dinner and free time to relax around the fireplace or enjoy an exotic cocktail at the bar.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Day 7: Amazon Rainforest - Baños

This morning we will leave for Baños. We’ll stop in Puyo for a quick tour of a small balsa wood factory. After Puyo we will enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding cloud forests with dramatic waterfalls, cliff side farms and untouched views of Sangay and Llanganates National Parks as we transition from rainforest to the Andean Mountains in less than 50 kilometres. This spectacular stretch through the Pastaza Corridor has been declared by the WWF as ‘A Gift to the Earth’.

At around midday we will reach Baños and arrive at Luna Runtun, the adventure spa spectacularly located on a hill above Baños and nestled within the Sangay National Park. Enjoy the magnificent views of Baños Valley, the active Tungurahua volcano and the inaccessible surrounding mountains that hide the lost gold of Inca Emperor Atahualpa.

After lunch at Luna Runtun we will have a free afternoon for an optional excursion such as hiking, mountain biking, horse riding. Alternatively, there is also the opportunity to take a massage or other health treatment in your hotel’s spa, or just relax in its thermal pools whilst admiring the amazing views of the whole valley.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Day 8: Banos – Chimborazo - Riobamba

Today you will enjoy another day full of diversity as we depart Baños and drive along the ‘Avenue of the Volcanoes’ on our way towards Riobamba. With clear weather we will be able to see many of Ecuador’s fifty-five volcanoes, and before lunch we’ll stop at the town of Salasaca, which is home to one of the most distinctively indigenous communities of Ecuador. In addition to their characteristic clothing, the community is known for its tapestry weaving that is sold in the more popular markets of Quito and in Otavalo.

We continue onto the Chimborazo nature reserve where we enjoy lunch at a mountain lodge prior to a tour of the reserve. The reserve’s main attraction is Ecuador’s highest mountain, Chimborazo (6,268 metres), which is due to Ecuador’s equatorial bulge and the fact that it is the Earth’s closest point to the sun. This giant volcano is topped with a 20km diameter crater surrounded by thick ice. The park has a lunar-like landscape where it is easy to spot vicunas, alpacas, deer and many other types of fauna.

After admiring the park, we will continue to Riobamba where the evening is at your leisure.

Breakfast, Lunch included.

Day 9: Riobamba – Devil´s Nose Train Ride – Incan Ruins – Cuenca

After an early breakfast, the second day of the tour departs Riobamba to the south, as we head for Alausi where we will board the train to “The Devil’s Nose”. Mid-morning we will arrival at the town of Alausi where we will begin our adventure on Ecuador’s famous “Devil’s Nose” train.

After about a four hour ride, we will return to Alausi in the early afternoon where our bus will be waiting to take us to Ingapirca. Continuing on, we will pay a visit the Ingapirca fortress, located at 3,100 metres above sea level. These ancient Incan ruins are the most important in the country. Their true history is still a mystery, as studies differ on if they were a fortress, an observatory or a temple. After visiting the ruins we will finish our trip on the road to Cuenca, arriving in the early evening.

Breakfast, Lunch included.

Day 10: City Tour Cuenca

Breakfast in the morning prepares you for a city tour of this UNESCO World Heritage city, considered by many the most beautiful city in all of Ecuador. Our walk will include a visit to the flower market, a Panamanian hat factory, the cathedral, Calderon Park, the church of La Merced and its convent, among other attractions.

Afternoon and evening at leisure.

Breakfast included.

Day 11: Cuenca – Cajas National Park – Guayaquil

This morning you will enjoy a guided trip to Cajas National Park, located an hour’s drive from Cuenca. With dramatic, open, rolling land and over 200 lakes, Cajas feels almost like the Scottish Highlands and visitors stand a good chance of seeing wild llamas, hummingbirds, condors and perhaps even the parks more elusive animals such as spectacled bears, pumas, and oncillas. Your naturalist guide will take you on a short walk where you can observe the flora, fauna and bird life before stopping to refuel at a local restaurant for lunch.

Continue onto Guayaquil where we include a brief panoramic tour of the city before dropping you at your hotel where the evening is at your leisure.

Breakfast, Lunch included.

Day 12: Guayaquil Departure

Our representative will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.

Breakfast included.

Departs - Daily

Suggested Hotels

City

Comfort

Superior

Deluxe

Quito

Hotel Real Audiencia

Casona de la Ronda

Swissotel

Papallacta

Termas de Papallacta

Termas de Papallacta

Termas de Papallacta

Amazon

Casa del Suizo

Casa del Suizo

Casa del Suizo

Banos

Hotel Volcano

Hotel Samari & Spa

Hotel Samari & Spa

Otavalo

Las Palmeras

Hacienda Pinsaqui

La Mirage

Rio Bamba

Rincon Aleman

Mansion Santa Isabelle

Hosteria Abraspungo

Cuenca

Victoria Hotel

Santa Lucia

Mansion Alcazar

Guayaquil

Continental Hotel

Palace Hotel

Oro Verde

What's included

Accommodation with private facilities

Hotel taxes

Entrance fees

Tours with English speaking guides

Transfers

Meals as specified

What's not included

Airfares

Airport entrance/departure taxes

Gratuities

Travel insurance

Any items not mentioned as included

Notes

Hotel rates are based on lead-in rooms. Other room types and hotels are available. Rates are subject to change and different rates may apply during holiday seasons and special events.